Bronx Banter » Washington Nationalshttp://www.bronxbanterblog.com
Development site for Bronx Banter Blog's upcoming look and feelTue, 03 Mar 2015 15:53:39 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.3Good n Lucky (Or is it Lucky n Good?)http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2012/06/16/good-n-lucky-or-is-it-lucky-n-good/
http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2012/06/16/good-n-lucky-or-is-it-lucky-n-good/#commentsSun, 17 Jun 2012 00:07:34 +0000http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=86984Hard to feel confident about your team winning a game in extra innings when they are on the road. The longer the game goes, the deeper into the bullpen your team digs, the greater the feeling of doom. Which is why I stepped out to go to the grocery score when the Yankees didn’t score in the top of the 12th inning today. I’d spent the afternoon in front of the TV, missed the better part of a gorgeous afternoon, and if the Yanks were going to lose the game, I didn’t know that I had the heart to watch.

What’s the worst that could happen if I let it be?

I didn’t even bring my phone with me to the store. Yet when I got home our boys held a 5-3 lead going into the bottom of the 14th. Mark Teixeira got the big hit, a two-run double against Brad Lidge. Jayson Nix hit an infield single to deep short to start the frame and then Derek Jeter failed to lay down a bunt on the first two pitches he saw. But he fouled pitches off and took some more; soon the count was full then Jeter hit a ground ball single himself. It was a stubborn, resilient at bat, and Jeter’s first hit in seven trips to the plate.

Lidge recovered to strike out Curtis Granderson and he got ahead of Teixeira but then hung one and the Yankee first baseman lined a ball to the right field corner.

Rafael Soriano wasn’t smooth and two men were on base when he got Bryce Harper to ground out to end the game. I thought Harper, 0-6 with five strikeouts at that point, would fulfill an ESPN highlight clip that I had running in my mind, but he did not. After the game, Washington’s manager Davey Johnson said that for the first time this year, Harper chased pitches out of the strike zone, anxious to make something happen.

By the time the game was over and Freddy Garcia, sixth of seven Yankee pitchers, was the improbable winner, the startrtd, Jordan Zimmerman and Andy Pettitte were a vague memory. Both pitched well. Zimmerman reminds me of Matt Cain. He’s got great stuff but the Yankees made him work and he was out of the game after six innings.

One thing about Zimmerman, he made two excellent plays in the field. The first, after catching a line drive, had him making a pinpoint throw to the shortstop as they tried to double Eric Chavez off second. The next play was another throw, this one home, that nailed Nick Swisher (Swisher’s leg collided with the catcher’s knee and the cheerful outfielder’s day was done).

Pettitte was outstanding, again, and held a 3-2 lead after seven. He’d thrown 95 pitches but with three right handed hitters coming up in the eighth inning was pulled in favor of Corey Wade who retired the first two batters on two pitches. He got ahead of Ian Desmond 0-2 and then threw a bad pitch, a meatball that missed its target by plenty. Desmond smacked a 400 foot home run and the game was tied. After a walk to Tyler Moore, Boone Logan relieved Wade. Dwayne Wise, who’d replaced Raul Ibanez in left to start the inning, shifted to right and Nix went to left. Adam LaRoche was the pinch hitter and he singled to right. Wise fielded the ball and made a strong throw home. Russell Martin tagged Moore for the third out.

It was a stirring play for the Yankees as well as a lucky one as the replays showed that Moore was safe. But this is how it goes when you are on a wining streak–luck is on your side. Right now, the Yanks have more than a little bit of luck. Everything is going their way. We’ll take it.

Oh, yeah, this was their first win all season without hitting a home run. Tomorrow they go for their ninth straight.

]]>http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2012/06/16/good-n-lucky-or-is-it-lucky-n-good/feed/3Baseball Player Name of the Weekhttp://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2011/02/22/baseball-player-name-of-the-week-14/
http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2011/02/22/baseball-player-name-of-the-week-14/#commentsTue, 22 Feb 2011 15:23:48 +0000http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=49433One of the pitchers who will be competing for a roster spot with the Washington Nationals this year is:

Let’s make this quick. The Nationals are the worst team in baseball. They had the worst record in baseball last year, and this year they’re 8.5 games behind the second-worst team in the majors. Their current .262 winning percentage is worse than that of the 119-loss 2003 Tigers and would be the sixth worst since 1901 if they were to maintain it throughout the season.

What makes the Nationals so bad is their inability to prevent their opponents from scoring. They have the worst defense in baseball (by defensive efficiency) backing up the worst pitching staff in baseball (by ERA). They’re allowing a whopping 5.81 runs per game. Their starting rotation consists of four rookies and 24-year-old sophomore John Lannan, who faces Chien-Ming Wang tomorrow night. The rookies are not untalented, 22-year-old WBC no-hit artist Shairon Martis of Curaçao (who starts tonight) and 23-year-old Jordan Zimmermann appear to have bright futures, but only Lannan currently sports an ERA below 5.00, and Lannan backs up his 3.51 mark with a dismal 1.23 K/BB.

The bullpen has been worse. Largely stocked with veteran retreads such as Julian Tavarez and Kip Wells, both of whom have had their chance to close games, the Nat’s pen has posted a collective 5.59 ERA. The only bullpen in baseball with a worse mark is that of the Angels. The Rockies relievers, who are third worst, have an ERA a full 0.7 runs better than that of the Nats corps. The Nats’ pen leads the majors in blown saves with 15 in a mere 24 chances for a devastating 38 percent conversion rate, and has a collective WXRL of -3.36, which is 2.5 wins worse than second-worst Cleveland.

It’s a good thing the Nats can hit. Their 4.47 runs scored per game is right around the NL average thanks to strong seasons from franchise player Ryan Zimmerman and late-winter free agent signing Adam Dunn, and the surprising health of OBP Jesus Nick Johnson. Those three bat in the two-through-four spots in the lineup. Cristian Guzman has hit .319/.351/.447 since missing all of the 2006 season and is maintaining that level of performance out of the leadoff spot despite drawing just six walks. A league average performance from oft-injured center fielder Elijah Dukes (a.k.a. Milton Bradley 2.0) give the Nats a solid top half of the order, which helps explain that league-average performance overall.

As for the Yankees, Brian Bruney is back from the DL and Jose Veras has been finally, mercifully designated for assignment. Standard lineup tonight to face Martis, whose strikeouts have gone missing this season. CC Sabathia takes the mound for the Yankees, but doesn’t promt any significant lineup shifts for the Nats. Guzman will DH while Alberto Gonzalez plays shortstop.

Trivia: the Nats have six former Yankee minor leaguers on their 25-man roster: Nick Johnson, Cristian Guzman, Alberto Gonzalez, Wil Nieves, and Ron Villone are five of them. Who is the sixth?